She Left Me Breathless

by Trin Denise

  Caitlyn and Rachel looked as if they wanted the floor to open up and swallow them. Sydney glanced at Caitlyn. She winked at her protégé before turning back to Edward. “Eighteen-million dollars,” she said and then added, “Cash.”

  Sydney had caught Edward off-guard. If she had any reservations about the man before now, he had quickly solidified her opinion of him and her opinion was lower than she had initially thought.

  “You got anything stronger than sissy-ass champagne?” he asked as a server passed by.

  Sydney nodded toward the foyer doorway that led into the family room. “There’s a wet bar through there. Help yourself.”

  Edward didn’t wait for a second invitation. Without a word to Rachel or Caitlyn, he left the foyer. No doubt on his way to get a drink, as if he needed one, Sydney thought as she turned to Caitlyn. “I need to go speak with someone. Why don’t you show your mother around? Get something to eat and drink. Have a little fun.”

  Caitlyn looked at Sydney and mouthed a silent thank you. Sydney gave her a “you’re welcome” smile before turning to look at Rachel. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Ashburn, please excuse me,” she said and left the foyer. She had to put some distance between herself and Rachel. She had been waiting for this moment for so long that she had not given a second thought on how it would affect her when the time finally came. Her emotions were in overdrive. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a server’s tray and was not surprised to see that her hand was shaking.

  She walked back into the family room and looked around. This had to be the largest Christmas party yet. The place was jam packed with bodies and from what she could tell; most Welsh employees were in attendance. She waved to the Mayor of Miamisburg who seemed to be having an animated discussion with Edna and Allen. What a combination, she thought.

  “Well howdy, Sydney. Merry Christmas ta ya,” a voice said just over her shoulder.

  She didn’t need to guess at whom the voice belonged to. She turned to see the smiling face of Jedidiah Saunders. “Hello, Jed. I’m glad to see you could make it and Merry Christmas to you,” she said. “This must be your lovely wife, Gerty.”

  Jed smiled at the portly grey-haired, older woman standing beside him. “Yes it tis.”

  “I am so pleased to meet you, Ms. Welsh. Thank you so much for inviting us. You have a very beautiful home,” Gerty said as she took Sydney’s hand and shook it soundly.

  “Please call me Sydney. Ms. Welsh sounds so formal,” Sydney said, marveling at the strength of the woman’s grip on her hand. “Are you two having a good time?”

  “Oh yes,” Gerty said, releasing Sydney’s hand.

  Sydney looked at Jed and smiled. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

  “Really? Why you wanna go waste your thoughts on that?” he grinned.

  “Yep,” Sydney said and nodded. “I was wondering if you had a full-time job?”

  “No ma’am, I don’t. I been retired from General Motors now goin’ on five years I reckon.”

  “Would you like a job? I need someone who’s handy to look after things around here but I don’t want you up on any ladders.”

  Jed scratched his head as he thought about the offer. “Well, Gerty here’s been tryin’ to get me outta her hair for some time now, says I’m always under foot.”

  “Cause you are,” Gerty said, playfully shoving her husband.

  Sydney couldn’t help but smile at them. They made a cute couple. “Why don’t you come by Monday evening and we can discuss the particulars.”

  “I sure will,” he said, his mouth curving into a smile.

  “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, why don’t you go ahead and show Gerty the rest of the house, after all, starting Monday, you’ll need to know the lay of the land too, and don’t forget to check out the dining room. We have a full buffet set up. Make sure you try the stuffed lobster, it’s to die for,” Sydney said to Gerty.

  “I love seafood,” Gerty chuckled.

  “I love seafood, too. When I see food, I eat it,” Jed said over his shoulder as he and Gerty headed off toward the dining room.

  Sydney laughed and shook her head. She couldn’t help but like Jed. Her gut told her that he was a good man and in many ways, he reminded her of her own dad. Her eyes systematically searched the room looking for Rachel. She found her standing next to Edward, who was standing next to the wet bar with a drink in both hands. Their eyes met and Sydney felt heat rise from the bottoms of her feet and settle in her groin. She forced herself to look away.

  Well now is as good a time as any, she thought as she made her way to the stage. She leaned over and said something to the lead singer who promptly directed the band to stop playing.

  Sydney took the microphone and walked over to the staircase. She climbed high enough that she could look out over the entire family room.

  “May I have everyone’s attention please,” she said into the microphone. When the crowd quieted, she continued. “First of all, I would like to thank everyone for coming and I hope that you are all having a good time.” She smiled at the whistles and oh yeahs coming from the crowd.

  “As all of you who work at Welsh know, we have had an awesome year.” The crowd erupted with a clap of hands. She held her hand up to quiet them. “And since we have had such a fantastic year, everyone’s Christmas bonus will be doubled to thirty-percent your salary instead of the usual fifteen.” The crowd went nuts at the announcement. “In addition to the bonus, which by the way will be reflected in next week’s checks, just in time for some last minute shopping, I have also decided to give everyone two additional days off before Christmas and none of you are to return to work until the third of January. I also know that some of you are workaholics and will still show up to work on those extra days I’ve given you off so you will be paid double-time.”

  She scanned the crowd looking for the few people she was specifically talking about. “Karen, Allen, Virgil, you all are hearing this right?” Sydney laughed.

  “Those extra days are with pay?” someone yelled from the back of the room.

  “Yes, that’s with pay,” Sydney laughed again as the crowd erupted in applause. She again held her hand up to quiet them. “I have one more announcement to make,” she said as her eyes scanned the crowd for Meredith. She found her and the clingy blonde standing near the triplets.

  “Some of you know that I have been in the process of interviewing candidates for the position vacated by our former VP of Computer Logistics, Tom Sosia. Well I’m happy to say that I have found the right person for the job. I would like for all of you to help me in congratulating our newest VP, Caitlyn Ashburn.”

  For several seconds, you could have heard a pin drop. Sydney looked at Meredith, whose mouth was hanging open. Sydney grinned with satisfaction as she watched Meredith grab her date by the arm and storm out of the room.

  “Way to go, Caitlyn, that’s my girl,” a drunken Edward yelled out from the back of the room. That’s all it took to get the rest of the crowd on board as claps and cheers rang out. At least some of them were clapping. Sydney’s eyes searched the crowd. She found Caitlyn standing next to Rachel. Both women had shocked expressions on their face. She then scanned the room for Allen. She found him huddled together with Robert, Kenneth, and their wives. The look on Allen’s face told Sydney that she had made the right decision. Allen said something to Victoria, then turned and left the room with Robert and Kenneth on his heels.

  Sydney handed the microphone back to the bandleader who then promptly directed his band to start playing.

  “I have to hand it to you, Sydney, I didn’t see that one coming,” Karen chuckled over Sydney’s shoulder.

  Sydney turned and smiled. “Yeah, I’d say it caught more than a few people off guard.”

  “Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant,” Karen laughed. “Did you see the look on the Hounds of Baskerville’s face and their husbands? It was priceless, absolutely fucking priceless! You don’t need to give me a Christmas bonus, w
hat you just did was payment enough.”

  “Girl, you are so not right,” Sydney laughed. She looked around the room, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Have you seen Jackie?”

  “Nah, but I really haven’t been looking for her.”

  “Damn, I was hoping to talk to her before she left.”

  “I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.” Karen grinned. “You check the buffet table?”

  Sydney put her hands on her hips. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, my sweetest, dearest employer,” Karen said, feigning complete ignorance with a smile. She winked at Sydney. “I just thought maybe she might be a little hungry.”

  “Uh huh, I’m sure that’s exactly what you thought.”

  “Maybe she’s at the chocolate fondue table,” Karen snorted.

  Sydney shook her finger at Karen. “You need to behave yourself missy.”

  Karen frowned. “Now where’s the fun in that?” she asked and grabbed two glasses of champagne from a server. She offered one to Sydney.

  Sydney shook her head. “I’m kinda champagned out and I need to visit the little girl’s room.”

  “Suit yourself,” Karen said as she moseyed across the room. She snuck up behind the triplets and leaned in so she could eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Danielle laid a hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “I am so sorry, Victoria, I know how much Allen wanted that promotion,” she said, sympathetically.

  “I cannot believe that woman gave a snotty little nineteen-year-old know-it-all, a position of such importance,” Carmen chimed in.

  “She has no business making more money than our husbands,” Danielle said, shaking her head.

  “Just look at them over there,” Victoria snorted. “I cannot believe Sydney fraternizes with her servants the way she does.” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand toward the staircase where Fred Rick, his part-time boyfriend Carlos and Edna, along with Jed and his wife were talking with the Mayor of Miamisburg.

  “They mingle with the guests as if they were our equals,” Carmen said in agreement.

  Karen had heard enough. She came around to stand directly in front of the three women. “Sydney treats everyone the same, Carmen, whether she employs them or not. It’s called being human, you should try it sometime.” She looked at Victoria. “As for your husband getting the promotion, that’ll be the day. Caitlyn might only be nineteen but she has more brains in her little pinky than the three of your sorry ass husbands put together. You three miserable uptight hags need to take your bigoted asses back to high society Centerville.”

  Karen emptied the contents of her champagne glass in one gulp. “And while you’re at it, take your husband’s with you. Sydney Welsh and Caitlyn Ashburn are soooo out of your league.”

  “I, I don’t think I was talking to you,” Carmen stammered.

  Victoria stomped her foot on the ground. “How dare you speak to us that way, you white trash bitch,” she hissed.

  Karen took a menacing step closer. She brought her face within an inch of Victoria’s. Her voice was eerily calm as she spoke. “How dare I? How dare you! If you three bitches didn’t spend most of your time stuck on stupid, you would see that Sydney and Caitlyn are two of the best people on this planet and they’re my friends. If I hear one more derogatory word come out of your mouth, this white trash bitch from Dayton, is going to kick your snooty ass all over this room.”

  Danielle grabbed Victoria by the arm. “Come on, hon, let’s find our husbands, and get out of here.”

  “Smartest thing you’ve said all night,” Karen said. She grinned, a look of satisfaction on her face as she watched the three women go off in a huff in search of their husbands. A few minutes later she saw them leave.

  The desk light inside Caitlyn’s office flicked on. A mysterious figure covered in black from head to toe and wearing a ski mask, used a gloved hand to turn on the computer. While the computer booted, the gloved hand pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the desk. The arrow pointer zipped around the screen as the mouse slid over its pad. The fingers moved to the enter button and pressed it, instantly changing the display. Rows and rows of computer code appeared on the monitor. The mask covered head leaned forward to look at the paper. Both gloved hands reached for the keyboard and began typing.

  Somehow, Rachel had found her way into the kitchen. She looked around the large room, thankful that she was alone. She had needed to get out of there. It was too much. She needed to be by herself. She needed time to think. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known, she thought as she systematically began a search of the cabinets.

  Syd Welsh, Sydney Welsh. Formerly Sydney Baxter, Welsh was her mother’s maiden name. She should have known, she told herself again. I should have been able to put two and two together, she thought as she opened one door, slammed it shut, and then repeated the process over again.

  For two years, Caitlyn had been working for Sydney, yet Rachel had no idea that the Syd who Caitlyn constantly talked about was the former love of her life, Sydney Baxter. When she saw Sydney in the foyer, she could not believe her eyes. It took everything in her to maintain her composure. Everything in her brain screamed at her to run—she should have.

  She flashed back in time and found herself drawn to those warm light brown eyes all over again. Sydney was just one year older than she was and Rachel had never believed the saying, ‘you get better looking with age’, but she believed it now. Sydney’s hair was longer than she remembered and hung in waves, reaching just above her bra line. The color was a little different too. Her normally black hair had traces of brown streaked through it. A small area just about her left eyebrow showed the slightest trace of white. If you were standing more than a few feet away, it would be unnoticeable. The black pleated slacks Sydney was wearing had hung seductively on her hips. Her dark green silk blouse, open at the neck revealed darkly tanned skin and enough cleavage to suggest the promise of ample breasts beneath the shirt. She had looked older, more distinguished, and sexy as hell.

  What am I thinking; she chastised herself for having such thoughts. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to see Sydney again, at least not in this lifetime. It was obvious that Caitlyn knew nothing about their past relationship. I wonder why—

  “If you tell me what you’re looking for, I may be able to help,” Sydney said, her voice jolting Rachel from her thoughts.

  Rachel’s cheeks flushed pink as she turned around to face Sydney. “I’m, uh, I’m looking for something to drink. Something strong,” she said, turning to resume her search of the cabinets.

  “I don’t think you will find anything in there,” Sydney said. “I suggest the wet bar or the fridge.”

  Rachel stopped what she was doing. For the first time since entering the kitchen, she took the time and actually looked at the room. It was huge. She had never seen a kitchen this size in her life. “Exactly how many cabinets are in this kitchen?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I’d say around thirty, maybe forty but that’s just a guess,” Sydney said as she walked over to the stainless steel refrigerator and pulled open the double doors. “All I have is some white Zin. Will that do?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

  Rachel leaned back against the bar, which ran the full length of the kitchen. She brushed her hair back from her face with her hand. “Anything will do right now,” she said.

  Sydney grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet along with a bottle of Martin and Weyrich’s Moscato Allegro from the fridge, and placed them on the bar. She pulled out a stool and sat down. She had just inserted the corkscrew into the cork when Rachel came into the kitchen.

  “What the hell is going on, Sydney?” Rachel asked.

  Sydney shrugged. “You and I are about to have a drink together,” she answered nonchalantly.

  “That’s not what I mean and you know it. How long have you known that Caitlyn was my daughter? Did you know it when you
hired her? Why haven’t you told Caitlyn that you and I know each other? You had to have known that I would be here tonight. Did you think about what a shock this would be for me?” Rachel asked, firing question after question at Sydney.

  “I knew what you meant, Rachel,” Sydney said. She watched the emotions play out on Rachel’s face at her use of the familiar nickname. “No, I didn’t know she was your daughter when I hired her,” she lied. “I found out after she came to work at Welsh,” she lied again. “She had a photo of you and Alyssa on her desk. I recognized you immediately, which of course I didn’t mention to Caitlyn. She then filled in the blanks for me. She informed me that Alyssa was her half-sister. That you had remarried when she was eleven, and Alyssa was a result of that marriage nine months later. She doesn’t have any pictures of your husband in her office, though. I thought that kinda odd.”

  Sydney took a sip of wine. “As for knowing you would be here tonight, that’s not a true statement. I told Caitlyn to invite you and your husband but I wasn’t sure she would and I wasn’t sure you would come even if she did. By the way, I thought you handled yourself very well during the introductions. I don’t think Caitlyn or Edward suspected a thing.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her that you and I knew each other?” Rachel asked again as she pulled out a barstool, grateful to have something to support her shaking legs before she fell to the floor.

  “What would you have liked me to say? Oh, by the way Caitlyn, I knew your mom almost in the biblical sense way back when. No, Rache, I decided that if you wanted that part of your life known, then you should be the one to tell her. It wasn’t my place.”

  Sydney watched Rachel as she eyed her suspiciously. It was as if she were debating with herself as to whether Sydney was telling her the truth or not.

  “I’m not sure I believe you,” she said finally, confirming Sydney’s thoughts.

  “That’s your choice,” Sydney said with a shrug, and then added, “I’m not the same person I was thirteen years ago, regardless of what you think or believe about me.”